


Cadmus

by ThatMasterOnline



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-28 00:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30131457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatMasterOnline/pseuds/ThatMasterOnline
Summary: The shades in Elysium are all bored, and being summoned to stop Zagreus's escape is the most exciting thing to happen in their lives. They're all itching for a fight.Until one isn't, and Zagreus faces a dilemma.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	1. Thanatos

"I don't understand," Zagreus says, "Are we missing one?" Zagreus does another lap around the chamber and comes up empty. They stand there, waiting, but no errant shades come out to attack. Zagreus does another, slower lap, and still comes up empty. Thanatos maintains his usual slight frown. 

"Well, either way, here. One shade isn't going to change anything, you won."

"Thanks, Than," Zagreus says, as he picks up the centaur heart, "but...you're not going to leave me stuck here, are you?" Thanatos scoffs.

"Of course not. I have time, I'll help you out." Zagreus does another lap while Thanatos goes to check the door and see if it's stuck for some reason.

"The door's working fine...we must be missing one...Strange they aren't attacking, though…"

With the both of them looking, the errant shade can't hide forever, and it's Thanatos who finds him, a young man in his twenties.

Cowering in fear.

"Blood and darkness," Thanatos curses, and the man whirls, recoiling.

"Please!  _ please! _ "

"I won't hurt you, Thanatos says soothingly, and he puts down his scythe and kneels down as Zagreus comes jogging up.

"Hey!" But Thanatos holds up a hands to silence him as the shade whirls and starts to crawl away from the both of them.

"Please...please, I don't want to fight, please…" Zagreus puts his sword down at once, and a frown appears on his face.

"But…Then why are you here?"

"L-Lord Hades summoned me, I didn't have a choice, please!"

"Didn't have...Gods, have I been mowing down innocent shades?"

"No, Zag. As I recall, the shades have all gone for you the moment they appeared. My best guess is that Hades picks the shades at random, since most of them  _ are  _ itching for a fight, and you just...happened across one that didn't. Shh, it's alright, we won't hurt you. Tell me your name."

"Cadmus…Please…"

"We won't hurt you, it's alright. I'm so sorry we frightened you." Thanatos holds his hand out in an offer of comfort. Cadmus takes it, after looking fearfully at Zagreus, and starts to sob as he's pulled into a comforting hug.

"I don't want to fight…" he sobs.

"I know," Thanatos soothes him, "and you don't have to. We won't hurt you."

"But Than, what do we do now?" Zagreus looks to the door to show what he means.

"You  _ shut up  _ is what you do now, Zag. And put your sword down, dammit, you're scaring him." Zagreus looks between Thanatos and the shade Cadmus, and he understands.

They need to kill the shade to unlock the door, that hasn't changed. The scythe isn't necessarily for ending lives, it's for reaping souls.

And Thanatos already has his arms around the shade. He opens his mouth, but Thanatos  _ glares  _ at him, and he shuts it again.

_ I'm sorry we frightened you _ , Thanatos says, because it's true.  _ We won't hurt you _ , Thanatos says, and it's also true. Thanatos is the god of peaceful death. He's going to kill him, but - if Zagreus can keep his mouth shut and not let Cadmus know what's happening - it won't be painful at all. It's true, they won't  _ hurt  _ him.

That doesn't mean they aren't still going to kill him. 

"It's alright, I'm so sorry we scared you, we won't hurt you," Thanatos shushes him, and starts to run a soothing hand through Cadmus's hair. Zagreus would ask why he isn't already dead, but that would involve a lot of things that Thanatos would be very angry at him for.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, with Cadmus weeping in Thanatos's arms, and Thanatos soothingly running his fingers through his hair, and Zagreus sitting a short distance away, wrestling with the guilt of what he's witnessing. He doesn't want to fight, and because of him, Than has to kill him anyway. He's definitely having a word with his father about this.

Cadmus's tears stop eventually, but Thanatos keeps soothing him. Zagreus notices he's starting to look a bit...Zagreus swallows. Sleepy.

"You're so good at this," Cadmus says, "My mother's hands never felt this good…" Thanatos smiles.

"I've had lots of practice," he says.

"Thank you, for sparing me…"

"Of course," Thanatos says, and Zagreus's stomach twists. Thanatos has never lied once in his life...but then again, Zagreus thinks with another knot in his stomach, Thanatos still isn't lying. He  _ could  _ have meant 'thank you for sparing me from a painful death'. 

He hates this, he hates every second of it, but he knows if he tells Than to hurry it'll ruin everything.

"I'm...so tired…" Cadmus says, "You keep up with those fingers of yours I might just fall asleep in your arms." Thanatos chuckles.

"Well, I've got some time. Close your eyes, take a nap, I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Cadmus asks, but it quickly becomes, "You're so comfortable…" 

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should...it was meant as one…" There are no more words after that, Cadmus's breathing evens out into sleep, and then starts to grow shallow, and then stops entirely, and a few moments later Cadmus fades out of existence.

The sound of a daedalus hammer appearing beside him startles him something awful, and he yelps. Thanatos stands.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Zag." And Zagreus starts to cry.

"It's all my fault…" 

"It's not your fault, Zag, it was just an unfortunate accident. Your father summoned the one shade in all of Elysium who didn't want to fight. Besides, Cadmus isn't in pain, he's not uncomfortable...I'd wager he's crawling out of the pool of Styx thoroughly confused right now. Hypnos is probably educating him on the dangers of taking a nap in Death's arms." Zagreus's lips twitch, but it's not even close to a smile.

"Do you do that all the time?" Zagreus asks. Thanatos pulls him into a hug.

"As often as I can. Mortals die, so I do what I can to make their passing as easy as possible. Cadmus had to die, so I did what I could to make his passing as easy as possible."

"If I...if I hadn't…"

"Don't. You need to find your mother. I'm angry, but...I understand. Don't feel guilty. You need to find your mother far more than someone who's already dead needs to stay alive. If it happens again, just promise to give him the swiftest and most painless passing possible." Zagreus nods, and Thanatos sighs and pulls back.

"...I have to go, Zag. But...I'll see you back at the House. We'll talk some more about this sooner or later, I promise." Thanatos vanishes. Zagreus has to sit, for a while, before he can continue.


	2. Patroclus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh...I might have forgotten to mention that this fic is going to be a hurt and very minimal comfort.

The shades back at the House witness the shouting match of the century when Zagreus confronts his father about the incident.

"You want me to stop summoning this Cadmus, and for what? So you can feel more comfortable trying to escape? I'm sure  _ I _ never taught you such hubris."

"Cadmus just wants to rest easy, why won't you let him?!"

"Why won't  _ you  _ let him, boy. If you want this Cadmus to rest easy, stop trying to escape. Simple."

"I'm leaving, and you can't stop me."

"Then if this Cadmus can bring you back here through your own reluctance to kill him, so much the better. Or, stop dying and actually make it out. The fewer opportunities for me to accidentally summon your Cadmus, the better. Isn't that right?"

"WHY, YOU-!"

The voices only escalate from there, and the shades waiting to voice their complaints wouldn't  _ dare  _ interrupt.

***

Zagreus doesn't see Cadmus for a long time, but he brings Mort along on every run, just in case. There's no denying Thanatos is just better at peaceful passing, and he wants to be able to have Than ease him along again, if the worst happens.

In his personal life, Zagreus manages to reunite Achilles and Patroclus. They're both the happier for it, and Zagreus is glad to have done his part. A few bottles of ambrosia later, and Zagreus is gifted with Antos. Zagreus decides to bring Antos along with him.

And of course, it's that run in particular where Zagreus clears a room and the door remains locked. Zagreus walks about the room, and he listens, and he can hear Cadmus shuffling around a column to hide himself from view. 

"Cadmus?" he calls, "Is that you?" 

He needs to keep fighting to reach his mother, but, but...Cadmus doesn't want to fight. But he's been doing so well…!

Achilles and Patroclus are both strategists. They'll be able to figure something out.

At least, that's what he tells himself.

"...Achilles."

"We hear you, lad. ...Lad?" Zagreus can see the confusion on their faces as they take in the empty chamber and the way Zagreus seems to be trying to make himself as small as possible. His spear is standing upright, and he's clutching it like a physical barrier between him and his fear, a habit Achilles had thought he'd long since ironed out of Zagreus. That's to say nothing of the fact that Zagreus has his eyes firmly on the ground, and he looks pained in a way Achilles has never seen before.

"Zagreus, lad, what happened?" There's a considerable pause.

"...Nothing, yet…" His face contorts like he's about to cry, and he clutches his spear tighter.

"I'm a coward…" Achilles steels himself.

"Stop this, lad. You've never been a coward and you're not going to start now. Fear is for the weak. Now, tell me what happened." Another pause, and then, very slowly, a finger uncurls from the spear to point at the empty chamber.

"Behind that pillar…" he murmurs, "There's a shade. ...His name is Cadmus. ...He's afraid, he doesn't want to fight, but I...the door won't unlock until I kill him." His voice has dropped to a whisper, and he's trembling.

"I'm afraid, sir, I...I don't want to. It's...it's one thing when, when-"

"I understand, Zagreus." Zagreus flinches. Achilles only calls him by his name when it's serious. "We both do. It's not a pretty thing you need to do...but it needs to be done."

"I'd...actually prefer he didn't," Patroclus cuts in, and Achilles looks at him. Zagreus swallows as Patroclus puts a hand on his shoulder.

"I said once that Zagreus had never experienced the horrors of war, and now that we're here I find I'd like to spare him as much as possible. I'll have an easier time sleeping at night afterwards, so to speak." Achilles considers.

"I'm so sorry, sir…" Zagreus whispers, and Patroclus pats his shoulder again.

"Things happen, stranger. And sometimes, like Achilles said, they're not pretty. Your verdict, Achilles?"

"...Very well. But, Zagreus...we won't be able to protect you forever. Sooner or later you'll have to do it yourself. Best start preparing yourself for that day." Zagreus nods, and the tears spill over, and he sinks to the ground around his spear and puts his fingers in his ears, but Achilles pats him.

"None of that, now. You can't pretend it isn't happening, you dishonour Cadmus by doing so. Steel yourself however you must, but you must witness this." Zagreus trembles, as Patroclus finally flushes Cadmus out from his hiding place.

"Please, please, no-"

"I'm sorry, Cadmus," Patroclus says, and then stabs him with expert precision. Cadmus jerks with a choked cry, but he fades a moment later, and the cries of battle fill the air. Achilles stands behind him on his right, and pats his back.

"Come on lad, stand up."

"I certainly don't envy you right now, stranger," Patroclus says as he returns to stand on Zagreus's other side and pats his shoulder comfortingly. Zagreus stands, and adopts his original pose, hidden behind his spear, and touches the orb.

"A shame to know you quail at violence like so many others, my kin...but such an ignoble death on that man's part makes me wonder how he was ever great enough to warrant a spot in Elysium in the first place. ...Very well. You deal death masterfully enough that I suppose I can accept a little softness in your heart...but be forewarned, my kin: I will not tolerate such a pitiful display from you again. Do not ever let me see you brought to your knees by weakness in your heart again, are we understood?" 

"Yes, Lord Ares."

"Choose your blessing and go." When Lord Ares is gone and only his blessing remains, Zagreus swallows, and stares at the ground.

"...We'll practice, back at the House," Achilles says. Zagreus nods dumbly. Achilles pats his shoulder again, as does Patroclus. Achilles sighs, and they both vanish.


	3. Interlude - Training

"Lad. Come with me." Zagreus has never refused an order from Achilles before...but he's seriously considering making a half-baked excuse and just bolting as Achilles leads him out to their sparring grounds.

"I said we'd practice, do you remember?" Zagreus nods, and he's not making eye contact again, except Patroclus isn't here and Achilles has no plans to go easy on him.

"Zagreus. Look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you." Zagreus has never once been the type to not make eye contact while speaking, and Achilles isn't about to let him start, so he tears his eyes from the ground and very slowly brings them up to Achilles.

"What's this all about, Zagreus? What's bothering you?" Zagreus looks away, just for a moment, but since his eyebrows furrow at the same time it's clear he's only processing the question.

"...Having to kill someone?" he answers slowly, like he's sure he's answered wrong but he can't fathom what the right answer is.

"Ah, you misunderstood me. What I meant is, what's bothering you, in regards to us. Why can't you look me in the eye all of a sudden? ...Zagreus." Zagreus brings his eyes back to Achilles.

"What's all this about?" Zagreus searches for the words.

"You're...disappointed in me."

"How so?"

"I…"

"Look me in the eyes, Zagreus."

"I...couldn't...I couldn't kill Cadmus, so I...summoned you to do it instead. I...I'm so sorry…" Achilles hums.

"Believe it or not, I'm not disappointed in you. Having to kill someone who's pleading for their life is entirely different from killing someone who's run headlong into battle. It's immensely difficult, and it haunts you in ways other kills might not...I'm not surprised in the slightest that you were searching for any excuse not to do it."

"Than was...I...last time…"

"Thanatos killed Cadmus last time?"

"He didn't even know it was happening, Than was so soothing, and he was hugging him and telling him everything was going to be alright, and then Cadmus just...took a nap. He was going on about how his mother's hands had never been that soothing. I...I just...how can I compare?"

"You can't, lad. You couldn't possibly deliver death as gently as Death himself, and there's no point in trying. The only thing you can do is deliver death as swifty and painlessly as possible. Now." Achilles put down his spear. "Kill me."

"...What?"

"You heard me. Kill me."

"Sir, I…" but Achilles fixes him with a look, and Zagreus swallows and grips his spear.

"Are you sure?" 

Achilles doesn't grant him the comfort of an answer, just waits. Zagreus readies his spear, pulls back...and quails. He tries again, but he loses his nerve at the last second.

"The anticipation is only making this worse," Achilles says, and Zagreus flinches. "And look me in the eye, lad." Zagreus looks him in the eye, takes deep, steadying breaths, and finally brings his spear back and plunges it into Achilles's chest. Achilles's face contorts in pain, and he sinks to the ground, and he fades.

And Zagreus curls up in a ball on the ground.

"...Come on, lad, none of that," Achilles says, when he re-enters, "Stand up, come with me, we'll get some nectar." 

"We're...not...training?" Zagreus asks.

"No, lad. I think we'll start slow. Killing me once was an acceptable first step, and I need to consider your feelings, as well. This kind of training will be taxing on the mind instead of the body, and right now your mind is weak. It will grow stronger with time, but for now...your mind is exhausted, and needs to rest."

"...I hate this."

"I know, lad. Come on, let's go to the lounge."


	4. Skelly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time, and I'm actually pretty sure there'll only be one more chapter after this.

Zagreus still brings Mort along every chance he gets, and somehow Cadmus never learns to be afraid of Thanatos. Not properly, at least.

"Will it hurt?" He asks, once.

"Did it hurt last time? Or any of the times before that?" Thanatos counters.

"No…"

"And I trust your trip back to Elysium was pleasant."

"Yes. Master Charon brought me right back to the chamber I was in."

"Good. Then it's just a pleasant nap in my arms."

"...Master Hypnos said taking a nap in Death's arms was a dangerous thing to do."

"Taking a nap in Sleep's arms is even more dangerous. You never want to wake up."

***

"...Sir?" Cadmus asks from where he's being held safely in Thanatos's arms. Zagreus starts.

"Erm...yes?"

"...Why?" Zagreus looks away.

"My mother, my birth mother, she's on the surface somewhere. I...have to find her."

"...A noble cause. Well then, I wish you luck. And...I hope there are no hard feelings. I...I realize this is difficult to watch."

"I'm not so upset about watching," Zagreus says, "It's the day I have to do it myself I fear."

***

That day comes, eventually. Zagreus has been not hitting Skelly out of sheer spite for that whole 'end my suffering' stunt he pulled. Zagreus can take a joke as well as anybody, but when his genuine sympathy is taken and shoved back in his face he's genuinely hurt. But Skelly - for whatever unfathomable reason - had seemed genuinely panicked when Zagreus had threatened never to hit him again. Zagreus is still angry at him, but...he brings Rib along, so that at least  _ someone  _ is hitting him like he wants.

So he alternates between Rib and Mort, mostly using Mort, of course, for Cadmus's sake, but one day or night he's on a run with Rib and the door doesn't unlock. Zagreus hates it, but he knows what he has to do.

"Skelly." Skelly appears, and he just stands there, and Cadmus begins to ignore Zagreus and look fearfully at Skelly instead. Zagreus creeps around, pulls out his sword, aims it as best he can, and presses forward. Cadmus jerks and sags to the ground, and Zagreus loses his nerve immediately, but the deed is already done. Cadmus fades.

"Oof, that's rough, Zag," Dionysus says sympathetically.

In a stroke of luck, or divine intervention, or just as a result of his tears and the eventual decision that he can  _ not  _ let Cadmus's death go to waste...Zagreus makes it out. He sees his mother. Persephone. He meets her.

In a stroke of the cruelest irony he's ever experienced, that doesn't put an end to his having to kill Cadmus.

(Achilles knows better than to question, when Zagreus emerges from the Styx and screams.)


End file.
